Unaffiliated University of Iowa social media accounts help foster an honest student-centered community.

I believe party culture can be harmful to students’ academics and personal health. But that doesn’t represent the full range of posts that come from unaffiliated UI Instagram accounts.

For example, the Instagram account @yikyakiowa reposts local Iowa City “yaks” from the app YikYak. “Yaks” are anonymous public messages sent out on the app to the users’ local message board. Although they can reference inappropriate material, there are positive posts as well:

“Serious post to the freshman: all jokes aside,” an anonymous post read. “We’ve all been there. Don’t feel bad about feeling homesick, crying in the showers, or feeling alone. It’s 100 percent normal. It takes time to adjust.”

The anonymity of these posts gives students a chance to be honest about their struggles. Social media accounts that are unaffiliated with the UI aren’t tied under constraints of public relations that give a sanitized view of college life.

Unaffiliated UI social media accounts offer unique and entertaining content for students. This includes all the quirks of the college experience from any perspective.

A video or image of a student drinking alcohol is the student’s decision. Students that record or post content without another student’s consent is wrong. However, a student should be fully aware of their visibility in public spaces.

Party culture makes up many posts in unaffiliated UI social media accounts, but it’s a part of the college experience anywhere. Removing UI unaffiliated social media accounts won’t change the culture.

Columns reflect the opinions of the authors and are not necessarily those of the Editorial Board, The Daily Iowan, or other organizations in which the author may be involved.